Through the Cracks of Time
by Daydreaming Heart
Summary: -Discontinued and now being made it's own story- Joni Zeekens is a bright but hotheaded and pessimistic sixteen year old girl who lived in Sequim, a small town in Washington, during the year 1977. But in a strange turn of events, she finds herself stuck in a world from ages past, and then embarks on a quest to...somehow...find her way back home.
1. Wrong Place, Wrong Time

When I shut my eyes and drifted away on those strange grassy fields, the previous week seemed to replay in my head in a weird dreamlike way.

Oh wait, I forgot to introduce myself. The name's Joni. Joni Zeekens….yeah, yeah, I know, my last name is totally dumb, but I can't help it, darn it!

….Err, anyway, I'm sixteen years old, I live….well, _lived_ in Sequim, a cozy little town in Washington, not too far away from Seattle, with my seven-year-old human hurricane of a brother, Danny, my dog Cassy, and a lady in her mid forties named Martha who serves as our nanny I guess. Last day I was there, it was April 31st. The year was 1977. Not much to say other than it snowed in Miami, the first all-in-one home computer was shown off, it was a lame year to be a pilot, Gandhi was doing some stuff, and Star Wars was coming out soon and everyone was craving to see it.

Appearance-wise, I'm just your typical teenager. Five-foot-two, slightly curly blonde hair, brown eyes, and if you look closely, I've got a few freckles on my cheeks. Though apparently I looked good enough to land the biggest sweetheart this side of the West Coast. His name's Ben, but I'll get to him soon enough.

Anyway, back to the day where I got the thing that started this whole mess!

April 26th, 1977. Tuesday. Five days before the incident occurred. Just like every other weekday, my alarm clock sounded off at 6:30 in the morning….yeah, you _all_ feel my pain. And, as per usual, I pound down on that snooze button, only to have Danny come stampeding in my room, just waiting for the split second my alarm would go off and for me to get the thing to shut up, where he proceeds to climb on my bed and jump up and down on my poor half-asleep body, screaming "JONI! JONI! UPPETY UP! TIME FOR SCHOOL! TIME FOR SCHOOL!"

You wanna know what the lamest part is? He does this on _weekends_ too, just substitute "school" with "Scooby Doo". It's times like this I wish I'd gotten a sweet little sister instead of this….human freight train hopped up on sugar.

I groan as I try to get up….which I couldn't really do considering the fact Danny was repeatedly making it impossible for me to move with his constant hopping on my back. "Alright, alright…." I grumble. "I'm getting up already, just….don't be a doofus and break my spine, you copy?"

"Yup! Copy copy!" he says as he _finally_ stops using me as a trampoline and runs out of my room, down the staircase, and presumably to the kitchen.

Slowly, I crawl out of bed, trudge toward the bathroom, and do the whole "get ready for school" routine. Brush my hair and teeth, get into some casual clothes, put on some makeup, you know the drill. Afterwards, I scramble downstairs to get some breakfast before I go over to the old sawmill.

"Good morning, Joni." greets a slightly pudgy middle-aged woman with short ponytailed black hair sitting at the table with Danny (who's already scarfed down almost all of his Cocoa Puffs….like the kid needs to take in _more_ sugar….), poking at some eggs on her plate.

"Morning, Mrs. Parker." I reply, taking a seat.

"Oh, Joni, how long have we known each other?" The woman says to me as she gets up and walks towards the kitchen area of the room. "Call me Martha."

I usually do call her by her first name, but whenever I'm feeling a little on the cranky side (which is pretty much every morning in my life in a nutshell), I try to suppress the urge to be surly (well, surlier than usual, anyway) by addressing my elders formally.

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, Joni," Martha begins to ask me. "What would you like for breakfast?"

I shrug. "I guess one of those toaster waffles."

"You sure you don't want some cereal or eggs or anything like that?"

"I'm sure." I say as I quickly glance at Danny. He's gazing at the box of Cocoa Puffs with serious temptation flickering in his eyes. _You're hyper enough, kiddo. The last thing you need is seconds of that stuff._

"Okay, then." Martha says as she opens the refrigerator door to get the box containing the frozen waffles.

I fold my arms on the table and lay my head down in them. _Why couldn't they just start school at a time where everyone was more or less awake? Even Cassy's still asleep at this time. Why do we have to get up around the time the sun is supposed to come up instead of, at the very least nine o'clock? It's far too early for me to be stressing out over "did I do good with my homework?" or "did I remember to fill out all five packets?"._

 _You know what? Screw packets. Whatever happened to one sheet of paper full of questions? Why give us three or four freaking double-sided sheets of pure unnecessary work? That's just bogus._

My tired and bitter thought train is interrupted by the sound of a plate and a glass being placed down in front of me. Guess the waffle's done.

I lift my head off the table and slide my arms back. Martha then places down a fork, a knife, and a jar of grape jelly.

I pull my breakfast closer to me, spread some jelly on my waffle, take a few bites, sip some of the milk, glance at the clock, and then realize I have to book.

"Aaah! I gotta go! HaveanicedayguysBYE!" I shout as I pick up my bookbag and rush out the door.

I don't bother trying to make out what Martha says to me as I exit the house. It's probably "Have a nice day at school!" or something along those lines. All I know is I should just get on my bike and get to school ASAP.

And so, I ride my bicycle through the streets of Sequim in a race against the bell. Thankfully, my school isn't too far from my house, so the hurry isn't _that_ big. I have just enough time to….well, son of a gun, there he is.

I slow down and get off my bike next to a boy my age. He's got blond hair like me, but it's more of a dirty blond sort of color, and he's got these lovely, gentle green eyes….

"Hey, Joni." he says to me in that sweet voice….forgive me if I sound swoony, here, he's my boyfriend, you dig?!

"Heya, Ben." I reply to him, smiling. "How's it going?"

"Doing good." Ben tells me. "How about yourself?"

"Ugh," I utter, my smile turning bittersweet. "Not doing to swell, you know? Crazy brother, getting up before the crack of dawn, overabundance of homework, it's pretty bunk sometimes."

"Yeah, they could stand to give us a little less homework." he said, wistfully grinning as well.

I sigh, then he sighs back….he's so romantic….

Ben is, as I stated before, a total sweetheart. A little on the shy, quiet, and passive side, but a sweetheart nonetheless. He's got the kindest smile, and an even kinder personality. I don't think I can remember a single moment where he said something mean. That's the reason I started dating him in the first place: he was such a good friend to me ever since the Eighth Grade, and I felt so alone in the sense that….well, now's not the time to pout over things that I can't change….

Then, some stupid jerks I knew from school drove by in their stupid fancy car and honked that stupid horn and let out a bunch of stupid mocking laughs directed at Ben and I. One of the jocks turned his head towards us and sneered. "So, it's the dumb geek and the prude again."

I clenched my hands into fists and glared at the goon furiously. "Dumb geek….I'll show you a dumb geek!" I threaten. Ben looked at me with concern and seemed ready to hold me back at a moment's notice before I (try and fail miserably to) tear the car and the dogs in it a new one….literally.

The jerkface just let out a single condescending "Ha!" before he drove off again.

"Yeah, you drive away, you son of a-! Ugh!" I scream at them, enraged, as I chase the car for a few paces, shaking my fist and then sighing with exasperation as I lowered my arm. I turned to Ben, his expression full of sympathy.

"I'm sorry, baby…." I said, my anger turning to remorse. "I just….you know how I get sometimes. I just can't seem to keep my cool."

"It's okay." he replied semi-quietly, looking me in the eye. "I don't blame you for being upset. I'm actually a little mad at them myself."

"You? Mad?"

"For making you get rid of that beautiful smile of yours." he told me with a slightly flirtatious glint in his eyes.

"Oh, _stoooop_." I retorted with a sheepish laugh. I could just feel my face turn hot pink.

My gosh, my mood sure changes on a dime. Sometimes, I wonder how such a foolhardy hothead such as myself manages to get good grades….not to brag or anything like that….

* * *

Fast forward about five or so hours later, and we're in Biology class. Our Science teacher's name is Mr. Adalwin. He's a redhead in his mid twenties with a short beard, and he's a pretty levelheaded and decent guy, though a bit blunt. Despite that, there's not much we know about him. Sure, the other teachers tell us about their previous jobs and their childhoods and stuff, but not Mr. Lowell Adalwin. Whenever we ask, he either finds a way to dodge the question or says something like "I had a very….interesting family." And just leaves it at that. There's always a bit of an air of mystery about him, and that could explain why most of the single girls in the class are always fawning over him.

Anyway, we're currently studying plants and stuff. All about the different kinds of roots and leaves and how they photosynthesize and how some plants don't even need sunlight. I guess it's interesting, though I personally think History class is where it's at. It's the only real class in school that's worth all the homework and social junk if you ask me. I just find it extremely fascinating for some reason. Ironically enough since I keep trying not to live in the past.

Oh wait, it seems like class is wrapping up. Mr. Adalwin is writing our latest assignment on the board.

"Today….I want you to fill out pages….97 through 100 in your workbooks…."

 _Doesn't sound too bad this time._

"….and write an essay discussing a moss of your choice."

 _I just_ had _to get my hopes up, didn't I!?_

Aaaand, cue the bell for lunch break.

"RRRRRRIIIIIIIINGGGGGG!"

"Class is dismissed," Mr. Adalwin told us in that same serious voice. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, have a good time on your break."

"Bye, Mr. Adalwin." one of the girls in class said to him with a flirty tone.

"Err….farewell, Kate." he replied to her awkwardly but politely.

But as I was going to push in the chair to my desk and leave with Ben on my break, something fairly unexpected happened that began this peculiar turn of events.

"-and Joni," Mr. Adalwin called. "Before you leave for your lunch break, I want to speak with you for a second."

I shrugged, turning to Ben for a second and patting him on the shoulder. "Be right there, baby. You go on without me." I told him. Ben lightly smiled. "Okay then, see ya." He said before walking off to the cafeteria building.

Mr. Adalwin got back into his chair before speaking to me again. "Have a seat, Miss Zeekens." Not much else to say other than I pulled up a chair in front of his desk and sat down.

Mr. Adalwin twiddled his thumbs for a second before opening a drawer in his office desk and rummaged through it for a while until he found a seriously rusty bracelet. He held it for a minute and looked back at me.

"See this?" he said.

"Uh, yeah?"

"This," he said as he placed the relic on his desk. "Belonged to my distant ancestors, and has been passed down through my family, along with other artifacts belonging to them, for approximately six-hundred-and-eighty years."

"Are you for real!?"

"Err...yes." Mr. Adalwin replied. "And an heirloom this old would obviously have quite the history behind it."

"I dig it." I replied with great interest. What can I say? I think archaeology and history and stuff like that can be pretty fab. ...PFFFFT, I said 'I dig it' referring to an archaeological bracelet. Unintentional pun, much? 'Cause, you know, you dig to...find stuff like...oh forget it, I am an unfunny human being and I should be ashamed of myself.

"My...ancestors," Mr. Adalwin continued, clasping his hands together and resting them on his workstation. "...were said to be people of bizarre capabilities. Other family relics seem to depict them going though portals...'gates', if you will, to other worlds and other time periods. And the engraved messages on one relic speaks of how the possessions of these people could allow a person outside of the bloodline to...pass through these 'gates' since they were fashioned by people who wanted to at least keep their most prized belongings if they were forced to move into another time or dimension, and therefore their things took on similar properties. Given it was the right person needed for that time and-or place, one could actually travel back in time. Apparently, normal people who would use this ability selfishly would be unable to access the power of these artifacts and would basically be holding on to a piece of antique junk."

"Hey now, Mr. Adalwin," I interrupted. "You don't seriously believe in all that bogus time-travel dimension-jumping hocus-pocus, do you? I mean, come on. Everyone knows time travel is impossible."

He just sighed and shoved the bracelet toward me. "There are many things in this world, Miss Zeekens, that are unexplained and unknown to man." he said. "I do not know if these stories are true, but I believe you should have this. Besides, Mrs. Pierson mentioned you have a penchant for history and archaeology and the like, so I'm sure you'll appreciate me giving this to you, regardless."

I gently picked up the ancient bangle off of the desk and observed it carefully. Normally, people say I'm reckless, but with this sort of stuff, I can't afford to be a klutz. It was copper (as indicated by the aqua-green tinge beneath the rust), and in terms of design, it was rather plain: no runes, text, or markings, just some scratches here and there. It was a little hard to tell where it came from given it's simplistic design and lack of distinguishing patterns, but it seemed like a mix of ancient Roman and Medieval Scandinavian, and, as stated by Mr. Adalwin previously, it was pretty safe to say that this came from the late 1200 era. It didn't look like anything special, but seeing as it was old and kind of pretty, it was a gift I gladly took.

Heedfully putting the ancient accessory on my wrist, I nodded at my teacher as a way of saying thanks.

"Be very, very careful with that, Joni." Mr. Adalwin told me in a tone so serious that anything he said before and after that would sound like a joke. "You are dismissed."

I got up, put the chair back, picked up my lunch bag, and headed for the door. "Later, Teach!"

* * *

The weekend came like any other day. Danny woke me up to watch Scooby Doo with him, nearly breaking my back in the process, and afterwards, I called Ben, and we were thinking on going on a walk through town together, but as it turns out, it was _raining_. You'd think we get a lot of rain here in Sequim considering we're right next to Seattle, but no, it's actually pretty rare despite how overcast it usually is. Normally, I like the rain, helps me clear my head, but when it so happens to be on the Saturday afternoon where you wanted to take a saunter with your boyfriend...not cool, Mother Nature. Not cool.

So...yeah. It had been five days since I got that bracelet from Mr. Adalwin, I never took it off except before hitting the hay, and not a single flippin' thing has happened. Guess that whole "gate jumping" thing was completely bogus after all...

Except you probably noticed that the story continues beyond this point.

Like I said before, I like walking around in the rain since it helps me get my thoughts straightened out, so...yeah, I went out for a little stroll by the shore of the sound, umbrella in hand. Even on weekends, not many people like to visit there in the rain, so the calming sound of the waves and the rain, the weather, and the lack of other people around made for an ideal spot for meditating and relaxing.

However, while out on said walk, the soothing and ambient sound of the drizzle meeting the surf was shattered by a caterwaul of barking noises as Cassy came racing after me. She was always a very nervous and protective dog, especially around me and my little brother, so of course she would follow me from my house all the way to the sound. The big old German shepherd clung to my side, whimpering. Seeing as I didn't want to smell like wet dog by the time I got home, I picked up a stick and threw it fairly far ahead of me, knowing she'd retrieve it and probably relax a little. "C'mon, Cassy! Fetch, girl!"

Cassy ran right after it as I expected, barking like a loony. That pooch likes to play fetch waaaaay too much.

But before she came back with the stick, something happened...

I honestly should've looked where I was walking, but nooooo, I had to walk right into it.

 _Right into that tidepool.  
_

I should've noticed the faint glow radiating from the most seemingly ordinary puddle, I should've noticed that, instead of reflecting the silver, melancholic sky, I could see a river and some bright green moorlands from a bird's eye view within the pool, I SHOULD'VE NOTICED THAT IT WAS EVEN THERE JUST IN CASE THERE WAS, I DUNNO, A JELLYFISH OR SEA ANEMONE THERE THAT COULD'VE FRIGGIN' STUNG ME, but nope, I put one foot forward, and right before I took that step that would completely change my life, I heard Cassy barking frantically and saw her running my way, as if she knew what was about to happen to me (wouldn't shock me one bit, dogs are perceptive that way), and finally...I felt myself stumble and fall...much farther than I should have.

Next thing I knew, my umbrella went flying out of my hand, and I was falling through a clear sky, looking down at the valley hundreds or even thousands of feet below. Sometimes I'd notice some birds flying around me, usually some crows, but I think I spotted some messenger birds as well.

But what was going through my head the whole time? The same thing that was coming out of my mouth:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

...Hey, what did you expect me to think and say when I'm pretty much falling to my doom? "What a wonderful day! Boy, is plummeting to my demise exhilarating! I wish I could do this more often!"? ...Well, maybe if I was a skydiver I'd think that, but I'm not.

Gee...looks like I've fallen pretty far, now. About five-hundred more feet until I go splat.

...Make that 350 feet, now that I think about it...

...Much to my surprise, I think I might survive this fall. If I lean a liiiiitle more forward, I could probably land in that river...yeah, I'm almost right above the water! I think it's working! _I'M GONNA LIVE!  
_

Aaaaand SMACK! SPLOOSH!

That actually hurt a lot. I mean, I've had some nasty belly-flops before, but you haven't felt pain until you have one of those after falling thousands of feet from the air. It's like having a giant frying pan hit the entire front-side of your body. Yeah, ouch. I actually blacked out for a second it hurt so bad (well, either that or it was the shock of suddenly falling out of the sky). And so, I sunk for a spell.

And then, as if a part of my subconscious was reminding me that I would most surely drown if I didn't make an effort to get to the levee, I snapped out of it, trying to reach the surface before I was fish food. I desperately gasped for air as soon as I escaped the murky stream's embrace, flailing my arms as I attempted to stay afloat. I tried as hard as I could to swim to shore, tired as I was. The current threw me off several times, and I almost drowned at least four times. For the longest time, it seemed like my scramble to reach solid ground was an endless cycle of going under the water and once again breaching the river's surface for air. After several minutes of struggle against the stubborn flow, I didn't feel any water around me anymore...but something cool and somewhat sticky instead...mud! I had finally reached the riverbank!

Oh, land...sweet land! No more falling and drowning for me, thanks.

Slowly, I got up and, with every last ounce of my remaining strength, trudged through the muddy slope, over the roots of some of the riverside trees, and onto the nearby green fields, only to collapse right on the meadow. I felt the dewdrops on the grass rub off on my face and the wind caress my hair as I lay face-first on the ground, drifting off yet again.

Before my consciousness slipped away, I could hear a lady screaming in the distance. I couldn't make out exactly what it is that she said, but judging from the volume and frantic tone in her voice, she probably saw me pass out and was now losing her head over it. I guess I would too if I saw someone keel over.

And that's all I could remember before I woke up once again...

* * *

 _A/N: And so it BEGIIIIIINSSSSSS! I've been meaning to start this fic for a long time, and oh boy do I think this is going to be a fun one.  
This first part was simply meant to build up to the incident that got Joni stuck in the world of FE7 as well as to establish her character, so, I'm sorry if it's a little on the dull side, but don't worry, if all goes well, the next part will be anything but boring (well, at the very least we'll have some fighting, so stuff will happen)._ _I also want to make it very clear that Joni is not a self insert. Actually, our demeanors are entirely different...which is why I think I'm going to have a lot of fun writing her character.  
_

 _Hopefully, I got all the late 70's slang right. I'm hoping to have some help from my mom with this aspect of Joni's character._

 _Well, hope you guys enjoyed! :D_


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

What felt like several hours later, I regained my consciousness. I tried opening my eyes, but to no avail. I shifted my shoulders slightly. I was just hurting so, so bad.

 _Oh, my….well….everything. Real weird, though. I don't recall getting hit against any rocks while floundering around in that stream, just understanding how my socks felt during the spin cycle. Come to think of it….did….did that whole thing where I was just walking on the beach one minute, then plummeting out of the sky, into a river, and nearly drowning the next actually happen? Doesn't really make sense. Was that one of those weird dreams people have when the accidentally fall out of bed or something? Oh well, at least Danny isn't jumping on me, so that's a welcome cha-….wait a minute._

 _Danny isn't jumping on me, telling me to watch Scooby Doo with him._

 _Something is very wrong with this picture._

Trying to sit up, I let out a single, quiet cough, but I just flopped right back down.

"Are you awake?" I heard a voice say. I was far too groggy to tell if the person speaking to me was male or female, young or old, etcetera etcetera. All I knew was that someone was talking to me.

 _Perhaps I really did fall out of bed and either Danny or Martha was concerned for me, maybe explaining why my little brother didn't try to use my spine as a trampoline for once._

I let out a tired grumble and kinda sorta opened my eyes. My vision was super blurry, though, but the colors I could make out were definitely not the colors of my room. Last time I checked, my walls were painted a sort of violet color, _not white_.

"Wh….whe….re?….What…..ha-appened?" I groaned, feeling a little less muzzy, trying to sit up again and adjust my eyes. For some reason, my arms felt kinda itchy….

 _Wait, am I sitting on….grass? What is even going on, here?!_

I could at least make out some shapes, now. Really fuzzy shapes, but shapes nonetheless. It looked like a person was picking some things off of a dresser-looking thing and then sat down about two feet away from me.

"I found you unconscious on the plains." The voice said again, a bit clearer this time. It was female, but quite deep. Huh?

 _Wait a second,_ PLAINS!? _Am I suddenly in the Wyoming wilderness or something!? What's even_ HAPPENNING, HERE!?

I blinked, keeping my eyelids shut for a good three seconds, and upon opening them again, at last, my eyesight went back to normal, and my first initial thought was:

 _WHO THE HECK DYES THEIR HAIR THAT COLOR!? ARE YOU INSANE!?_

Anyway, the person who supposedly got me to shelter was this lady. Her hair was apparently colored this weird bluish sort of green (which I assumed was dyed as that is not a natural color in the slightest, and even then, dying one's hair an abnormal color was really uncool and very not-fashionable in my present time) and she looked to be in her early twenties. She seemed to be tall, even for sitting down, and had a bit of a lanky build. What was really odd, though (you know, aside from the hair) was the outfit. It was a light blue sort of dress with a style that looked like a mix between Indian (as in "American Indian") and Oriental. What even….?

I shook my head, which was still hurting really bad, and then put a hand over my temple. Then I remembered my hand hurt pretty badly, too.

"Who….who the heck are you?" I whimpered.

The lady looked a little insulted about my tone for a second, shooting me a "That's rude." sort of look, but brushed it off and answered my question anyway.

"I am Lyn of the Lorca Tribe. You're safe, now." she told me, extending her hand for a handshake.

 _The whatta-what-now tribe? Safe from what? I don't recall anything being out to get me._

"Who are you? Can you remember your name?"

"Yeah. I'm Joni." I replied dryly but politely, accepting her handshake. She accidentally nearly ripped my arm right out of its socket, though.

 _Not sure if I'm just in that much bad shape or if she's one of_ those _people who feel the need to make their handshakes as hearty as possible._

"Your name is Joni? Hah, what an odd-sounding name." Lyn said with amusement as she stopped shaking my hand, crossing her arms.

"Hey!" I remarked indignantly.

 _My first name is_ wicked _, thank you very much. Especially when compared to my dorky surname._

She winced slightly, as if she didn't mean to say what she just said. "But...pay me no mind, it is a good name."

"Thanks." I replied, slowly trying to stand up off of the mat I was lying down on previously. The lady tried to help me up, but I simply remarked with a "I'm good, ma'am." and continued attempting to rise to my feet.

My new acquaintance glanced at me with a puzzled look on her face. "What strange garb you sport." She says.

" _I'll have you know this is the trendiest outfit for teenage girls at this point in time!"_ I wanted to say, but no self-respecting person is that rude to an Indian, I mean, it was their land and all and we just marched in like we owned the place and trashed it. "I don't believe that I quite recognize that style, but if I were to guess, I see by your attire that you are a traveler?"

"Uhh….sure." I said as I brushed the sleeve of my shirt.

 _I'm not sure if I'd technically count as a traveler per se, I just went from there to here somehow, and I have no clue whatsoever to where "here" is. My best guess is that I'm in an Indian reservation; there is one right outside of Sequim, after all. Maybe I got stung by a jellyfish or something and some jerks thought it'd be funny to leave me out in the middle of nowhere, and the whole "almost plummeting to my doom" thing was all a venom-induced hallucination. Considering my popularity (or lack thereof) at school, it wouldn't seem too farfetched if that were the case. ….Can jellyfish even do that sort of thing?_

My thought train was interrupted when Lyn started asking me more questions. Inquisitive, aren't we? It was almost as if she hadn't seen another human being in five years or something.

 _If only Ben and I lived in that kind of solitude…. no jocks or bullies or cliquey girls….just me and him, forever and ever….maybe Danny and Martha could tag along, too, if they want._

"What brings you to the Sacae Plains? Would you share your story with me?"

"The what? ….To be honest, I don't quite know what happened, I just…." Suddenly, upon reviewing the previous events, I just remembered something really, really important.

"Oh my gosh, I NEED TO GO HOME RIGHT NOW!" I shrieked, fidgeting with anxiety.

"Huh? I beg your pardon?"

"Danny's probably throwing a tantrum by now, and Martha's probably got cops looking for me all over the country, not to mention Ben! I need to book it home before-!" I had to pause to take a breath, as the only three things on my mind right now were panic, more panic, and wouldn't ya know, even _more_ panic. "Look, ma'am, thanks for being so nice and hospitable and stuff, but I gotta go, like, right now! I'll see if the park rangers can drive me back to Sequim or something, see ya!"

"But there are-"

Too late, I'm already booking it outside _._

… _.Weird, this isn't the typical Washington nature scenery. Not very woodsy, spare a few trees here and there, just a bunch of grass and a river (most likely the same one I almost got myself killed in). Well, that Lyn lady said that this was the plains, so….where exactly am I, anyway? Sakkay, I think she said? Never heard of the place_.

Despite everything that I've seen and heard, a huge part of my mind said that my hometown shouldn't be too far away and that's just what the Indians call this area.

After a minute of running around the camp-village-reservation-something, I start thinking that there isn't a soul that can lead me back to Sequim anywhere around.

… _.Come to think of it, I haven't seen_ anybody _else out here. ….This is actually kinda spooky_.

 _Wait a second! I think I see somebody! From the looks of things, two men, real rugged-looking guys with axes, who were currently in a conversation, guffawing ever so-often. Lumberjacks, perhaps? I mean, we're on the border with Canada, which is a pretty big country when it comes to exporting wood and stuff like that, so if I really am still in Washington, seeing lumberjacks out here wouldn't be too surprising._

….Did I ever mention that "doofus" is practically my middle name? Because, in spite of my good grades in school, _it is_. (okay, not really, my middle name's actually Tabitha, but you get what I mean)

"Hey, you, fellas!" I called out to them. Both of them immediately piped up and turned their heads toward me. One of them, a really big blond guy with a red shirt, green leather and metal armor, and a mossy green cloth headband (weird taste in fashion you got there, pal), curled his lip into a snarl after he laid his eyes on me.

"Who are you?" He growled, his voice thick with some weird Cockney accent.

"I, ah, kinda got lost out here, so I was hoping you guys could go get your car and drive me back to Sequim. So, could ya do a girl a favor?"

The two men looked at each other for a minute with skepticism for a few seconds, as if they had no clue whatsoever what I just said.

Turning back to me, the fair-haired man spoke up again. "We don't have a cart, girl."

"I know, pal, I said _CAR_!" I shouted back.

 _Thinking about it now, considering all of the accents and supposed costumes and fancy old words and what-have-you, maybe all three of the folks I've seen are part of the Society of Creative Anachronisms or something like that._

It would make sense….but the following events proved me _way wrong_.

"Uh-huh…."He paused for a moment, an avaricious smirk growing on his face. "….That necklace…. _it looks to be of some value_ …."

That creepy tone edging his voice started to concern me. As they started stepping forward, I started stepping backward. Somehow, I had the feeling that these guys didn't have benevolent intentions.

Their paces grew quicker, and, as a result, I started moving back faster as well. Even so, they were starting to move at a jogging pace, now.

 _Crud._

"S-seriously fellas, trust me, um, this necklace of mine, ehh, you see, is actually pretty cheap. I got it for a dollar and twenty-five cents. Just….please, you wouldn't hit a lady, would ya?"

That didn't seem to make either of the two men slow down even in the slightest. If anything, the other guy, a big, shirtless raven-haired brute who must've fallen straight out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down from the looks of things, started charging at me. All of the sudden, my legs cramped up. I really wanted to just whip right around and book it out of there, but I just….froze. I guess this is what they call a "deer in the headlights" moment. When I actually tried to run, I just fell right over. The big thug was now within a few feet of me, and as he raised his axe, I could hear him utter in a greedy, cruel voice. "Nighty night, cute little rabbit."

I closed my eyes, curled up into a ball, and then began to scream in terror. It's all I could do….after all, just like the jerk said, I really was just like a rabbit: miniscule, powerless, cowering, hopeless….as good as dead in the jaws of a massive, slobbering hound.

 _What a way to go out, whimpering like a sissy as I was to be split in two by a hideous axe murderer. So_ this _is how it feels to be in a slasher flick….even though I've never seen one since Martha boycotted horror movies from the house._

But the killing blow I anticipated never came. Instead, it felt as if there was a swift rush of wind, and I heard a man's scream of pain. I open one of my eyes, and….

 _It's what's-her-face again!….I didn't know she knew how to fight with a sword. Wait….my gosh….she just landed a square blow on that guy's chest….! ….Oh my gosh….blood….blood….ohhhh gosh, it's horrible…._

The brute fell to the ground, but he still made noises of suffering, the slash not deep enough to kill him. Lyn muttered something under her breath before she plunged her blade into the man's body….I cringed as he let out one last cry and saw the grass around him speckle with a dark scarlet color….I felt like I was gonna be sick….I mean, I would feel grateful if I wasn't so scared from seeing a guy die right in front of me….in fact, I think I screamed twice as loud as I did when the man tried to kill me.

Slowly, I sat up….I….I couldn't believe what just happened. The blond guy and Lyn exchanged some loud, angry-sounding words….assumedly insults….but I could barely comprehend anything I heard. My mind was just melting down from what I just saw. I just….couldn't take my eyes off of him….he was so still….and his chest was so red….I could feel myself crying in pure horror, and I felt my mouth move as if I were trying to speak, but if I really said anything, I couldn't hear my words….I felt myself hyperventilate….I was feeling like I was about to puke….my heart was pounding with dread….my vision was now getting blurred with tears and hysteria….I felt like I just could not get a grip to save my life….oh gosh….oh gosh….

I felt a hand shake my shoulder. "Come on, please! Get up! Get up!" I could hardly hear Lyn tell me.

"No….no no no no no no no no no no…." I mumbled fearfully.

"It doesn't matter to them if you're only a child. If you don't get out of here, they'll kill you without hesitation."

"You….killed him….he….he's dead….dead!"

I don't think the lady's having any of this, because I then noticed I was being forced to run as I was being dragged by the sleeve somewhere as I continued to sob deliriously. I didn't know where I'm going, nor did I really want to be in the same general vicinity of a killer. Okay, sure, she saved my life, but still, you think I was gonna be buds someone who _just stabbed a guy straight through the CHEST!?_

We stopped running, and that executioner let go of my sleeve. I fell right back down and continued cringing and weeping.

"Stay here, Joni." I heard her say before it sounded like she ran off. I didn't want to take orders from a barbarian, but considering that I was kinda having a mental breakdown, I couldn't really do anything other than just sit there and at least try to recover my senses.

Maybe another part of this hissy fit I'm having has something to do with just the sudden theme of death….I mean, if _he_ didn't get killed, then _I_ probably would've been the one who ended up as a bloody carcass….yeesh, I don't even want to _think_ about that scenario.

With that thought in mind, that, at the very least, I'm not dead, I start to calm down a little. Not much, but still, it's a start. I stop bawling my eyes out, for one, my sight and hearing are less fuzzy, and that feeling in my gut that I was gonna lose my lunch is starting to fade.

I observed my surroundings as my vision returns to normal once more. I was in a bit of a thicket area, and if the other thug tried to pursue me, it'd be easier to hide. However, it's pretty small, so I didn't have that much room to evade, and considering I was in plain (look guys, I made an awful pun!) view outside of the wooded area, if he brought more friends with him who were waiting for another target to pop up in their field (another pun! I am on FIRE today!) of vision, I'd be toast. Though the more rash side of me really wanted to check out what the heck was going on, the smarter part of me said to just hide in a bush and hope for the best. I mentioned before that I'm usually reckless, and one of the only two things I can't afford to be a stumblebum with is artifacts, but the other thing I should be even _more_ cautious with is _my life_.

So, with that in mind, I sat my butt in the cover of a nearby shrubbery and waited to see what would happen. In the background, I could hear clashing steel and the exclamations and short battle cries of the two combatants. I couldn't smell much after the ridiculous and, quite frankly, totally humiliating amount of crying I just went through, and to be honest, I was still just a little dizzy. Meanwhile, I put two and two together and realized….

… _.My gosh, I think I'm in the Middle Ages…._

… _.Son of a gun, Mr. Adalwin was right…._

I looked down at my wrist, and in the patches of light that dappled the shadows of the leaves, I gazed upon the ancient, rusty bracelet I'd received earlier that week, it's glimmer was extremely weak.

This _is apparently what's responsible for this whole mess! I mean, Mr. Adalwin said that this thing could enable time travel and stuff like that! So, somehow, I fell through a portal, got stuck in the distant past, and, as a result, almost died two or three times in the same day (granted, most of those incidents were probably my fault due to my own impulsiveness, but still)!_

I grabbed onto the old accessory, preparing to take it off and throw it as far away from me as possible. _What a load of trouble you turned out to be!_

Before I could get it past my hand, I stopped. _No._ I started to think. _If it got me into this time period, it probably can get me out of it. If I throw it away now, I'll be stuck here for the rest of my life for sure. No more Sequim. No more Ben. No more TV. No more cars. No more radio. No more anything I'm really used to._

I slowly softened my grip on my bracelet and let go. _You're off the hook….for now._

I sighed as quietly as possible. It's hard to swallow, but I was actually stuck in Medieval times. Who would've thought that, instead of some complicated mechanism that you're supposed to stand in, the first time machine was actually a shabby little wristlet? Not most people, that's for sure.

 _Just how am I supposed to get back home? Do I have to let myself fall face-first into every single puddle I see? I sure hope not, because I'd rather not wind up breaking my nose. I like my face the way it is, thank you very much._

 _Oh, I could_ always _go see the wizard. You know, the wonderful wizard of Oz_?

….Forgive my sarcasm, I get like that when I run into puzzling scenarios.

I stopped my train of thought as I heard pounding footsteps approaching the thicket. It also came to my attention that the clashing of steel and the shouts of two opposing warriors has suddenly gone quiet. I completely froze and went totally silent, even going so far as to hold my breath. I had no clue whatsoever if the person who was running this way was my friend or my foe. The footsteps grew slower and softer as whoever it was decelerates and proceeded to walk about. I dared not poke my head out of the bushes to see who it was. What if it was that other axe guy? Knowing how my day had been going, there's a good chance that it was.

After some time, I heard the footsteps of this unknown individual grow closer and closer to my hiding spot in the bush. You have no idea how tempted I was to just scream and run, but that would be dumb of me. I tensed up and shut my eyes as tightly as possible, bracing myself again for the blow of an axe.

The rustling sound of branches being pushed aside rings in my ears.

"Oh, there you are, Joni."

I opened one eye and, much to my relief, it wasn't a crazy axe murderer, but my Indian samurai bud with the weird hair-color. Phew!

I stepped out of the bushes and tried to brush some of the leaves and twigs out of my hair. "Man, thank goodness it's not one of those axe jerks."

"You mean those bandits?" She asked, shaking her head and crossing her arms, looking at the ground. "Callous beasts, those kinds of people. The world would be better off without them."

 _I think I'm starting to feel a little scared of this lady again._ "….Uh, I take it the coast is clear?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Everything should be fine, now."

I didn't really reply. I just kinda looked to the side and figured that probably meant that she killed the other guy.

"You seem troubled." I heard her remark.

I made a weird, sad but angry-ish sort of face.

"….They would've shed much innocent blood if I didn't stop them."

"Still," I finally spoke up. "Did you really have to….to _kill_ them?"

"I don't really like doing it myself. However, I had no other choice. They show no mercy to their targets, therefore I show no mercy to them."

I didn't reply.

"Well, then," Lyn said, changing her tone from dark and bitter to cheerful and relieved, clasping her hands together with a sole clap. "If you don't have a place to stay, shall we head back?"

"Excuse me?" I retorted.

"It'll be sundown soon, and it's several miles to the nearest inn, and, well, I haven't had a guest or anyone to really talk to in a very long time. I could always use a new friend."

I held back a sympathetic chortle. _You and me both, pal. I totally know how you feel._

I didn't totally trust this Lyn lady yet, but I guessed that she's more trustworthy than those axe creeps I ran into earlier, which were probably everywhere in the Middle Ages, especially at later hours, so crashing the night at my new acquaintance's place was probably the option less likely to result in me being sliced in half like….something that is known for being sliced in half, I guess. I dunno about that last bit, I'm not that good at analogies, okay!?

"Well….I guess? I mean, I'm kinda totally lost, so….yeah." I answered, shrugging slightly.

"Great. This way."

* * *

After a few minutes, we got back to the yurt ( _finally_ remembered what those things are called!). However, once we got there, I asked my new bud for a minute or two of privacy. Why?

BECAUSE I'M IN THE FREAKING MIDDLE AGES AND I'M FREAKING OUT!

What? You expected me to be all "oh hey, I'm suddenly in the era of knights and kings and stuff like that, no biggie"? Well, what would you do if you found yourself in another time period, huh?!

So I got inside the shelter by myself and, well, I begin to have an episode.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT DO I DO!? WHAT! DO! I! EVEN! DO!? I TRAVELED THROUGH TIME, ALMOST DIED TWICE IN ONE DAY, AND NOW MY ONLY ALLY AT THE MOMENT IS A FREAKING _GREEN HAIRED_ _MONGOL!_ " I shouted as I pulled at my hair, probably wearing the most cartoonishly terrified expression that a real human being could ever possibly pull off. Though, considering how loudly and quickly (and panicky) I was yelling, what I said probably sounded something more like: "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAHADOBAVENDO!? WHAHADOBAVENDO!? ITREABLEDTOTIMBULMUSKDEEDTWESENWADAHEHNUMUHUNLELLEHEBTEMNTESEFFERKILNGREMHUREDMOMGILL!"

I let go of my locks and took a deep breath, though I started frantically pacing back and forth, glancing around stressfully and muttering anxiously to myself in an attempt to channel my inner Martha and pacify myself.

"Okay, okay. Joan Tabitha Zeekens, just…calm down. Everything's gonna be a-okay. Everything's gonna be a-okay…sure, you're stuck in the distant past with no clear way of how to get back to the present and almost got decapitated by highwaymen, not to mention kind of got scarred for life seeing a guy get killed right in your face, but everything will turn out okay in the end….right?"

I stopped pacing for a bit and felt the side of my mouth begin to twitch. "Oh, who am I kidding?! I'M STUCK HERE FOREVER AND BANDITS ARE GOING TO KILL-"

Ms. Greenbean then popped her head through the entrance of the yurt. "Joni…?" She said with concern. "…Are you okay?"

"YEAH, I'M PERFECTLY, PERFECTLY FINE! I…I just need some time to get a grasp of the situation at hand!" I yelled nonchalantly.

"Well, if you say so…"

 _Exit Indian Hun._

 _Right, back to freaking out and trying to calm myself down._

"Good grief….good grief, good grief, good grief, good grief…. I'm turning into Charlie Brown….what should I do? How do I get home? Where is home even supposed to _be_ in this day and age? ….Am I in America? Europe? ….Asia….? ….Heck….am I even on Earth and in some alternate dimension?"

I sighed, starting to have my panic fade into bitter acceptance, and just stood in place. I also started to notice some small things that, due to all the crazy things happening to me earlier, I didn't really seem to pick up. For instance, I lost my right shoe as well as half of my rings (I put two on each hand: one on my index finger and one on my middle finger), presumably in the river. Weird that, in spite of losing those objects, my necklace was still there. I guess the cheap little thing was just too attached to me. At least I also still had my earrings, I suppose. They weren't really a gift from anyone, just kinda bought them for myself for my 14th birthday (I had literally no friends my age around that time, I'll explain soon enough). Still, a birthday present is a birthday present, even if it _was_ from _yourself_.

I took note of the nearby stool and slumped down in it, burying my face in my hands. You ever get that feeling where life becomes a maze, and just when you feel you get the pattern down, you discover that you're actually lost in the furthest corner of the place and there's no sign of getting out of the once-monotonous madness anytime soon? Well, yeah. That just seems to be the way my life's gone at this point.

A minute or so of actual silence passed, and I heard the entrance of the ger open again.

"Have you calmed down?"

I got my face out of my palms and turned my head towards Lyn. Her expression seemed a bit more patient than concerned unlike the last time she checked up on me and was reminiscent of when Martha or my mom or a teacher or a school counselor were waiting out a bad mood of mine whenever I had a less-than-pleasant day. Except those times I'd sulk in my room or at my desk and grumble while flipping through pages of a geographic dictionary or something of the sort in an attempt to distract myself from whatever ailed me, this time it was a matter of life and death and near heart-attacks.

"….Sure." I muttered.

She sighed with mild relief and dropped her shoulders. "That's good to hear."

I just sighed in a disheartened way and say nothing.

"Perchance, do you still feel any stress?" She asked me.

"Oh yeah." I replied practically in a cynical manner with an equally cynical expression, resting my arms on my knees.

She slammed her knuckles into the palm of her other hand enthusiastically, smirking. "I've got just the thing for that!"

"Aaaaand what would _that_ be?"

The host cleared her throat. "Well: _'Whatever the pain, our mother the Earth provides the remedy for.'_ " She recited.

I cocked an eyebrow, wrinkling my nose. "Come again?"

Lyn sniggered. "Come now! The plainsfolk are famous to outsiders for our usage of herbs to cure any sort of discomfort! In such combinations that it could be considered one of our secrets."

I shrunk back, embarrassed and not really knowing entirely how to explain. "Well, I'm….kind of….really unfamiliar with this neck of the woods?"

Now, I know a good bit of Mongolian culture from this time period, and as far as I know, things weren't adding up for more reasons than people from over 500 years ago having fern-colored tresses. As far as I know, the culture that was shown to have more expertise with the herbal remedy field around the East would be China and parts of India. Still, I dismissed the thoughts as trivial things like that are the least of my problems right now.

Lyn shook her head. "Now it all makes sense….I'll just get started on the _tsai._ "

My head followed her as she moved towards the back of her shelter to get something out of this one box, my befuddled expression growing even more perplexed. " _Tsai?_ "

"Oh, our word for calming tea." She casually answers while taking a ceramic stockpot-looking thing from the crate. "I'm not as good as the healer or my mother and father were at this sort of thing….I was more of a hunter and sentry than an apothecary….but I at least know how….though it _is_ common knowledge."

"Well, to be fair, last time I tried to make something edible, it turned into a petrified wad of burnt flour."

I was trying to make pancakes one time while Martha had a cold. ….Yeah, should've just stuck with cereal or something. Never let me in a kitchen.

I'll just skip the stuff that you'll find boring. The filling the pot with water, the kindling of the fire, the positioning of the water-storage device and her throwing in various flowers and leaves. At least the stuff _smelled_ good, but I've always been more partial to coffee, so yeah.

Finally, everything seems done and she waits for it to cool a little before filling a small clay cup with the end results.

"Here you go." She said, handing me this tribal tea. "This might help soothe the rest of your nerves."

"Well, down the hatch it goes, I guess." I replied before drinking it. The cup itself was very small, so one gulp was all it took to empty it. And hoo boy was it surprisingly really bitter (with a tinge of sour as well). It's like downing runny blackstrap molasses with a bit of lemon juice mixed in. I gagged a little as the hot, strong herbal liquid went down my esophagus.

"Are you alright? It doesn't taste too bad, does it?"

"What….did you put in this?" I manage to wheeze.

"Dandelion mostly….also some mint and _khunchiryn_ with a dash of chamomile and lavender as well."

"Well, I guess it has a sweet-ish aftertaste….what on earth is _khunchiryn_?"

"Oh, it's everywhere out here in the plains. The land here in general is rich with herbs, and it serves as our main trading materials with drifting peddlers." She begins as she walks over to the corner where the jars of herbs were. She opens one jar and takes out a small set of leaves and pale yellow bell-shaped flowers (I later learned from a future friend of mine that this herb was called astragalus).

"Anyway, you still haven't shared your story with me. Would you mind telling?"

"Maybe some other time…."

"Oh….well, how about a bit about yourself? What do you do to pass the time?"

I scratched my scalp. "I…read? History stuff, mostly. From clothing to warfare to imports and cultures and everything in between." I muttered.

"Anything else?"

"Spend time with my man? Take my dog for a walk? Play a board game or something of the sort; a little checkers or chess, sometimes a friendly betless game of poker….err….cards every now and again?

Her eyes widened a little. "I've heard of this _chess_ game! And you say you have some knowledge of historical battle! So you're a _strategist_!"

"Whoa, I wouldn't say-!" I was interrupted before I could complete my objection.

"This is excellent! Wonderful! I could really use your help in the near future!"

"But I'm just a school student with no friends but my man!"

I think it only made her all the more hyper. "And an education to boot! I hear only the nobles and the wealthy of the other countries could afford such things!"

I shook my head. "Oh, my household is definitely not rich."

"So you must be a prodigy, then! …Aren't you a little young to have a husband, already?"

I sighed, feeling a bit bittersweet. "I _wish_ he and I were hitched _,_ but yeah, we aren't old enough for that. Still have to wait two more years."

"So, you're just betrothed to him?" Lyn said with a chuckle. "How sweet."

"Not even that, sadly." I replied.

"I wouldn't mean to sound like a nosy and swoony old magpie, but would you mind telling me about him? I've always had a soft spot for love stories, seeing the married couples of the tribe snuggle and kiss."

"Hah, where do I even begin? I could be here all day talking about my Ben." I remarked. I paused for a while, rubbing my temple and yawning loudly. "Well, what about you? What's your deal?"

She paused for a minute. "…Well, I am the…the chieftain's daughter…." She began, suddenly sounding rather depressed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh, far out! Mind if I have another cup of that tea, please?"

She seemed a bit spaced out with a sober look on her face before snapping back to reality. "Oh, sure." She replied, taking the cup from me and refilling it before giving it back.

I took another drink of it. Still tastes pretty gross, still made me gag, but you know what? I think it really _does_ have calming effects.

"My mother was a foreigner, and quite a few clansmen didn't like her. Some even didn't care for me, either. It was because of my mixed heritage that my first lover split apart from me, his parents did not approve, and later on, neither did he…only staying by me one month more to see if the power that comes with the chief's family was worth being in the company of a half-breed. But still….in spite of it all…my mother, father and I….we were happy…."

I put on a slightly sympathetic expression. "Sorry about that." I placed the cup on the ground, then let out yet another yawn.

"Tired, friend?"

"Oh yeah."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't blame you. I don't quite know how you were knocked out cold around midday, and on top of that, you had a hard time throughout the afternoon right after you woke up."

I yawned for the third time. "Yeah."

The lady peered behind her between the flaps of the yurt's entrance. "It _is_ sunset already."

"Yeesh," I said with a quiet sigh. "I just might want to hit the hay, soon."

At that, the host stood up and made her way to the exit. She turned to me just as she was about to leave. "Well then, good night."

"Nah, I'll just spend the night in another shelter, like, one meant for visitors if you have one I guess. It's nothing too big." I suggested politely.

"You are my guest and my friend, Joni, therefore I must show you as much kindness as possible."

"Wait," I cut in again. "Isn't this your tent?"

"Yes, but I can always spend the night in another shelter." She practically quoted what I just said. "It's nothing too big."

 _Hmm, people seem awfully comfortable crashing the night at other people's places around here I guess._

"Well, have a pleasant night, friend."

"Yeah, uh, I'll try. Back at you."

* * *

That night I had some strange dreams. I couldn't remember them when I woke up, but all I know is that they were freaky. Probably a result of all the emotional strain from the day. I was tossing and turning, and when I wasn't dreaming of things that seemed so bizarre yet so forgettable, I was struggling to return to my slumber. Even when it started getting light out again and after I was more awake, I tried to drift back into sleep, but….

"Good morning, Joni!"

 _No such thing._

"….Are you awake yet?"

"Meerrrhhhhh…." I grumbled. "I'm really not a morning person…."

"But you called it a day only at dusk." She replies. "That fight yesterday must've taken a lot out of you."

I tried to sit up, my hair in my face and a total mess, pointing in the direction of her voice. "You have no idea."

"I'm sorry if I was the cause of any of that stress as well. I can tell you're a long way from home, and obviously it must be peaceful there if you're not accustomed to….to bandits."

"Don't sweat it, don't sweat it. You did what you had to do." I reassured her, getting the hair out of my face and half yawning. "By the way, thanks for letting me crash for the night."

She cocked an eyebrow, glancing around the room in a confused manner. "I don't see any signs of you crashing anywhere…."

"It's a slang from where I'm from. Means spend the night."

"So I've noticed, you have many of those." she remarked. "Very interesting. Though I hope you don't mind if I ask….where exactly are you from?"

 _That's really not what I wanted to hear her ask, but if I repay a kindness with a lie, that just wouldn't seem right._ "My hometown's called Sequim."

"Where's that?"

 _Uh oh._ I went silent for a few seconds. "….Very very far away from here."

put on a sympathetic-looking smile. "If you'd rather not give away where you live, I wouldn't take offense."

"Phew. Okay, then."

After a bit of a long pause, Lyn started again, closing her right hand in a lax fist and putting her thumbnail up to her lower lip in a somewhat pensive manner. "Say, Joni….I want to talk to you about something…." She began.

"Ask away, compadre." I replied coolly.

"You have some experience in the ways of war, I can see."

I shook my head swiftly. "Nuh-uh! You've got me all wrong! Again, I've only played a few board games and done a bit of studying, no actual experience. Besides, you saw how I was in that pickle yesterday! I was squalling like a little kid denied of some candy!"

"We all have much to learn, yourself included, and you may get yourself some practice along the road of life." She disagreed. "Even so, you seem like you need to go somewhere, and while you're at it, would you allow me to travel with you?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?

"Two birds with one arrow, am I right?"

 _I'm pretty sure that's "stone" and not "arrow", but oh well._ "Well, I guess if it's okay with your folks…err…your mom and…and pop I mean."

Lyn went white as a ghost, everything went so quiet you could practically hear a feather hit the ground. "What? You…want me to get permission from my parents?"

"Well, you kinda _are_ the next in line for the leader and have some status in your clan if I recall correctly from what you told me the other day, right? I mean, it's only fair, I guess." I continued.

She still said nothing, her head turned down. She kinda stood there for a moment before pulling up that same stool near the tent flap and sitting down on it, slouching.

I stepped forward, a bit concerned for the sudden out-of-characterness. "…Hey…" I spoke. "Everything alright, pal?"

"My mother and father died six months ago." She suddenly said, still hiding her face, her tone both devastated and a tad livid.

I blinked for a moment, concern turning into empathy. My parent's aren't dead but…I'm sure anyone who's read this from the beginning knows that it's just Martha, Danny, and me. "…I'm…I'm sorry…" I murmured solemnly.

"My people, the Lorca, they don't…" Lyn continued. "…I'm the last of my tribe. …Bandits attacked, and…" she choked back a sob, the atmosphere around her getting very stormy. "…They killed so many people…"

 _That's horrible…_ I thought. _…And it's starting to make a bit more sense as to why I didn't see anybody else in the camp, or during my stay in wherever, period…and why she seemed so angry at those thugs the other day…_

"The tribe was scattered…as you remember, my father was our chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people. But I'm so young…I wasn't even of age at the time, and my tribe was old-fashioned...still remembering the tale of Takhal, the last woman who led the clan…three hundred years ago…and left a trail of blood and arrogance and impiety behind her… For that, they would not follow a woman. …No one would follow me."

I began to see her shaking, hands slowly creeping up to her face and letting out a few quiet and suppressed weeping sounds.

I took a few more steps forward, crossing my arms and with a sympathetic frown on my face. "…I'm really sorry…I shouldn't've said anything…I'm sorry…"

She put her hands back down on her lap and looked up, sniffling a little and her eyes a bit misty. "…No…I'm sorry…I've been alone for so long…I must've been a bit annoying…rambling and sticking my nose where it didn't belong to someone who had several brushes with death in one day…"

I shrugged. "Don't sweat it." I assured the poor lady. "If it helps you feel any better, I'm fairly alone as well…kids can be mean…your parents' marriage can go disastrously wrong…but after saving my life twice, I can safely say that you've got a pal in me."

Lyn wiped her eyes with her arm and sighed. "No. No more." I heard her say under her breath. "I will shed no more tears…"

There was a long pause of silence as she stared off into the corner of the shelter, her face unreadable.

"…Hey, you alright?" I asked after about twenty seconds.

Lyn shook her head a little as she snapped out of space, attempting to smile. "Thank you. I'm better, now."

She suddenly stood up, head held high and a fierce determination shooting across her face. "Joni!?" she zealously began to ask me.

I took a few steps back at her sudden outburst, shrinking back a little and looking a bit shocked. "Ehhr…yeah?"

"I want...I must become stronger so that I may avenge my father's death!" Lyn continued. "Yesterday's battle taught me something: I won't become stronger by sitting here alone!"

"Well, true?"

"Joni, tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!"

I stood normally again, making my usual unsure face, which is kind of a wide unintentional smirk with my eyebrows raised high, usually accompanied by a shrug. "Well, I don't know jack squat about swordplay or combat training, but I could use a bodyguard while I'm on my way back to Sequim I guess? Might as well kick some bandit butt on the way, so long as I don't have to view all the violence and stuff."

A smile that one would expect from a little kid who's going to Disneyworld tomorrow crept on her face. "So you will?"

I tossed my hair over my shoulder and nodded.

"That's wonderful!" Next thing I knew, I got a huge hug that one would expect from a little kid who's been told by their mom that they're going to Disneyworld, except this supposed little kid is five-foot-seven and is apparently really freaking strong. "Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

"Hey, buddy!" I said in a strained voice. "I'm still hurting from yesterday, and you're asphyxiating me!"

"Oh! Oh, sorry!" Lyn said with an embarrassed laugh as she let me go. _Ow, why do I keep getting injured by mere gestures of friendship? Am I allergic or something?_

She extended her hand for a handshake like yesterday. "We'll be better off working together, I know it."

After accepting the handshake, I got the same result as yesterday as well. Again, I'm still in fairly rough shape, so I still didn't know if she was just an enthusiastic handshaker.

"You'll be my master strategist, and I'll be your peerless warrior! You'll get back home, and I will carry out justice upon the scoundrels who murdered my kin! We can do it! Right?"

I held onto my arm as she let go, trying to prevent myself from wincing at how much it hurt. "Well, can't make any guarantees, but it's worth a shot I guess."

She snickered. "You're not very enthusiastic, are you?"

"I've been known to be kinda cynical from time to time." I admitted casually.

Lyn cracked her knuckles, happy as kid on their birthday. "I'll just get some things of mine, and we'll be on our way!"

With that, she left the yurt. I stayed for a few minutes to think about some things.

 _Well Joni, this is quite the situation you've gotten yourself into. Not sure about one darn thing that's going on, and you've already almost gotten yourself killed…twice, AND you have no idea how to get back home. Now you're going on an adventure with a possibly crazy samurai Indian Mongol to bring down a ring of bandits, and every bit of common sense is telling you that you are very dead._

 _On the other hand, exploring this place might not hurt, and this Lyn person isn't a bad lady. In fact, she's been a pretty good friend. Who knows? Maybe I'll find out how to return to the present time while I'm out on this journey, and if not…maybe I fit in with the Medieval people better than back in 1977... There's only one way to find out…_

That being mentally said, I waited outside for when Lyn was ready to hit the road. When she finally finished preparing, we had one last quick talk before we set out for either certain death or a buddy-voyage that would make a great movie.

"You know where we're going?"

"I have an idea. Stop at the major trading center East of here. It'll take a few days, but we can at least get some proper supplies there, maybe meet a friend of mine on the way."

"Hmm, sounds like it's going to be dangerous," I said in a skeptical tone. "…But hey, ready to go when you are."

"That, I am."

"Woo-hoo! Road trip!" I shouted jestingly.

"If that is what your folk call adventure, then aye! 'Road trip!'"

And that, my good people, is how I started my crazy journey in the Middle Ages, my journey to get back home or die trying, and how I met who would later be my best friend. Well, one of many best friends I would meet along the way.

* * *

 _A/N: *Wheezes heavily* FINALLY FINISHED. Sorry about the huge delay, mostly procrastination. There might be another delay as Chapter 3 is mostly unwritten (I've been working on a few future chapters, but only one or two of them that I've made any progress for are for Lyn's Tale. ^_^;_

 _Well, we're finally getting into the events of the FE7! Sorry if Joni seems at all annoying in this chapter. To be fair, she lives a mostly peaceful life, and after suddenly getting stuck in the past AND almost literally getting axed AND seeing a guy get killed right in front of you...well, of course you're going to panic at least a little bit. I also took a few creative liberties with the dialogue and a few events, but other than that, I'm going to stick to the game's script and the characters as faithfully as possible. And though anyone who gets KO'd in Lyn Mode comes back later in the main story so it might be a bit early to say this, there will be deaths in this story, so...unless we're talking about one of the three protags, Joni or Ninian and Nils, be careful who you get attached to._

 _Also, I like it how Lyn almost immediately ships JoniXBen like FedEx. I personally like to imagine that she's not quite as tomboyish as others tend to depict her, more like someone who's fairly girly but can kick your butt to the moon and back at the same time._

 _Hope you guys enjoyed! I'll be working on this as well as The Villagers some more, soon, and maybe post a few one-shots while I'm at it. ^_^_


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